The United National Party (UNP) parliamentarians who were barred from entering the Sapugaskanda refinery on Thursday vowed to force themselves inside the refinery in the next few days and complete their disrupted fact-finding mission. 

UNP MP Ruwan Wijewardene told a media briefing that no one would be able to stop them from going to the refinery during the next few days.

“We will carry out our fact finding mission somehow or other,” he said and added that the MPs who went to Sapugaskanda would make statements on Thursday's incident in parliament next week. Ajith Mannaperuma said the MPs would make repeated efforts to enter the refinery and would do so forcibly if necessary. Harsha de Silva who was referring to an allegation made by the intelligence units that the MPs were trying to damage the refinery by creating unrest said they had no such intention to create trouble. “The allegation made by the intelligence units is totally baseless,” he said.

Eran Wickramaratna said they came accross several facts about the CPC and on various transactions carried out though they were not allowed to enter the refinery. Showing some photographs on the refinery boiler, Mr. Wickramaratna said it was in bad shape and the CPC would face a worse crisis if it were to burst.(Yohan Perera)





Pix by Pradeep Dilrukshana